@article{oai:tamagawa.repo.nii.ac.jp:00001174,
 author = {Doymaz, Sirin},
 journal = {The Center for ELF Journal},
 month = {Apr},
 note = {Many aspects of linguistic competence may be used as criteria to evaluate the age factor on language learning. Among those aspects, phonological perception and production may be the most important, due to its essential role in verbal communication. The purpose of this study is to investigate the age factor in phonetic perception and production. The present study is focused on three important implementations: 
to take a closer look at the relationship between age and phonological competence under sensitive conditions; 
to evaluate a wider range between age groups instead of age groups close together (e.g., pre-pubescent & post-pubescent students) 
to control for the influence of background knowledge by using a language unknown to the subjects. 
At the educational/practical level, in this study the researcher hopes to determine whether age affects auditory competence in distinguishing and producing minimal pairs at three age levels, under three different listening conditions. The age levels are 19-20 years old, the post-puberty period; 13-14 years old, the puberty period; and 4 years old, the pre-puberty period. The experiments were held (a) under normal conditions, (b) in a telephone situation, and (c) with background noise. To minimize the influence of background knowledge, the language used in materials was Turkish. All of the subjects heard Turkish for the first time. Results showed that even if no difference can be seen under normal conditions, the age groups’ competence might differ under more sensitive conditions. In the telephone situation, age became a significantly effective predictor of phonological production.},
 pages = {1--15},
 title = {The Younger the Better: A Study under more Sensitive Conditions},
 volume = {4},
 year = {2018}
}